The Battle of Gettysburg: Why It Mattered

A panel of military historians will discuss the significance of the Battle of Gettysburg on Wednesday, July 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Moderator Wilburn E. Meador Jr., an instructor at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, sets the scene, explaining the events of the Civil War leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg, which began 146 years ago on July 1, 1863.

Ethan S. Rafuse, associate professor of Military History, U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and author of Robert E. Lee and The Fall of the Confederacy, 1863-1865, discusses the actions of the Army of Northern Virginia, in the days leading to Gettysburg.

Christopher S. Stowe, associate professor of Military History, U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, Ft. Lee, Virginia campus, is presently writing a history of General George G. Meade and discusses the actions of the Army of the Potomac in the days leading to Gettysburg.

Terry Beckenbaugh, assistant professor of Military History, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, historical essayist in the Encyclopedia of the American Civil War and a scholar on the right wing of the Army of the Potomac, discusses the conduct of the Battle of Gettysburg, and why its outcome was more important to the Union cause than many people realize.

Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Click here or call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. Free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage located at 10th and Baltimore.

The event is co-sponsored by the Command and General Staff College Foundation.